Rising to the top

Coppell High School senior Prayaag Gupta is the class of 2020 valedictorian. Gupta will attend the University of Texas at Austin for the Computer Science and Business Honors (Texas CSB) program, alongside a friend he's known since the start of middle school, CHS senior and salutatorian Het Desai.  How many hours a day do you spend studying?  If you’re efficient with your time, you can cut d...

Coppell High School senior Het Desai is the class of 2020 salutatorian. Desai will attend the University of Texas at Austin for the Business Honors program. How did you balance your extracurriculars, specifically debate, with your academics? The key to balance is the willingness to let go. Letting go of an extra hour of sleep or extra game in favor of the bigger picture. It begins with planning f...

What is your approach to studying? I like to compartmentalize my time based on what homework I have for certain subjects on a specific day. To facilitate this, I will rest for a bit then spend 30 minutes on homework for each class and then use the remaining time to study for tests, quizzes as well as to relax.  What advice do you have for staying motivated throughout high school? My motiva...

Coppell High School senior Shreyas Rajagopal is ranked fourth in the class of 2020. He will be attending Emory University in Atlanta to debate for them as a debate scholar and majoring in anthropology and human biology.  Who/What was your inspiration all of these years?  It’s hard to say one particular person has been my inspiration these past four years. I really look to my parents a lot ...

The Sidekick’s daily news/assignment editor Karen Lu is ranked No. 5 in the Coppell High School class of 2020. In addition to writing and editing for The Sidekick, Lu was involved in band for her first two years of high school. She will be attending Rice University and plans to major in neuroscience.  What do you think is the biggest misconception about people in the top 10? One is that we...

Coppell High School senior Rohil Verma is ranked No. 6 in the class of 2020. Verma plans to study computer science in the Plan II Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin.  What motivated you throughout high school? I wanted to set myself up as best as I could for college and the rest of my life. Also, seeing my friends work hard in school pushed me to also stay on top of my grades. ...

Coppell High School senior Andrew Tao is ranked No. 7 in the Coppell High School class of 2020. Tao is a member of the varsity drumline at CHS and is the first percussionist to have made the cut for All-State Band all four years of his high school career. He plans to attend Princeton University in New Jersey with a major in computer science and minor in music performance.  What is your approach ...

Coppell High School senior Tanay Sethia is ranked No. 8 in the graduating class of 2020. Sethia will be attending the University of Texas at Austin for the Canfield Business Honors Program. What has your academic experience in high school been like overall? I guess it's no different than any other person’s [experience]. Lots of homework, sometimes classes that you’re really interested in...

Coppell High School senior Cole Krautkramer is No. 9 in the class of 2020. During high school, Krautkramer is president of the National Honor Society at CHS and a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.  What has been your favorite part about high school? My friends and the programs I have been in. Being a part of IB has been such an amazing experience and being able to have teacher...

Coppell High School senior Pranitha Kona is ranked #10 in the class of 2020. She will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall in the Honors Computer Science and Business program (CSB). Who/What was your inspiration all of these years?  I’ve always been internally motivated to be successful no matter if that is getting good grades or getting into a good college. It was kind of...